Lecture by Rydell Visiting Professor Dr. Helen King "Representing the Body: Leonardo da Vinci, Andreas Vesalius, and the History of Anatomical Illustration"April 17, 2018 at 7:30–8 p.m.

Rydell Visiting Professor Helen King will be delivering a talk entitled "Representing the Body: Leonardo da Vinci, Andreas Vesalius, and the History of Anatomical Illustration."

"How can we convert the three-dimensional complexity of the human body into two dimensions? How can we best represent the body and its processes in ways that help doctors to learn their trade, and patients to understand what is happening to them? This lecture will focus on two great figures of the Renaissance, locating them within the wider history of how the body has been represented. It will explore the roles of both imagination and dissection in changing how we try to understand the body, and will end by comparing two-dimensional illustrations with attempts to present the body in other ways."

Helen King, PhD, is Professor Emerita of Classical Studies at the Open University in England. She is a leading expert on ancient medicine and its influence throughout the Renaissance and the early modern period. She is the author of five books and dozens of articles and papers on women and ancient medicine, health in antiquity, dissection and medical training, the reception of ancient medical texts, mental health and notions of ‘hysteria', and histories of gender and the body. She has taught medical students as well as humanities students, and presents frequently to health professionals. Professor King is also actively involved in public engagement. She has appeared as a special guest on podcasts and documentaries, and has written many popular blogposts on ancient medical thought and its continuing relevance today.